On December 28, 2010, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev met with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi at the presidential palace in Astana.
Nazarbayev said Kazakhstan highly valued its relations with China and spoke highly of the great developments in bilateral ties, adding that the two countries enjoyed high political mutual trust, converged economic interests and close coordination on security. They firmly supported each other on major issues of common concern, developed mutually beneficial cooperation in economy and trade, resources and non-resources fields in a comprehensive way and closely coordinated within international and regional multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, which has made important contributions to regional peace and stability, he said. Kazakhstan and China should join hands to continuously push forward the bilateral strategic partnership, maintain the momentum of high-level visits, boost practical cooperation in economy and trade, energy resources, science and technology and education, and strengthen coordination in international affairs, he said. Kazakhstan was willing to work with China to enhance coordination and cooperation within the SCO in order to make a success next year's SCO summit marking its 10th anniversary, the Kazakh president said.
Yang said under the leadership of President Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan has made great achievements in its economic and social development and played an important role in safeguarding international peace and promoting common development. The Chinese side congratulated Kazakhstan on these achievements.
Promoted by leaders of the two countries, China-Kazakh ties have made a leap forward in recent years, developing from good-neighborly and friendly relations to a strategic partnership, Yang said. The Chinese government highly valued relations with Kazakhstan and regarded it as one of its diplomatic priorities, he said, noting that China was willing to foster the relations with Kazakhstan to be a model of good neighborliness and equal cooperation and a guarantee for both countries' development. The two sides should continue to view bilateral relations from a strategic perspective to boost political mutual trust, and guide the practical cooperation with the principle of mutual benefit to make more interests converge, Yang said. He also called on the two countries to deepen strategic security cooperation in the spirit of strategic partnership, adhere to the strategic position of bilateral relations and strengthen cooperation in international and regional affairs. Both sides should also promote cultural and people-to-people exchanges and cooperation to carry forward friendship from generation to generation. China would cooperate with Kazakhstan to contribute to the success of next year's SCO summit marking its 10th anniversary and wished the Asia Winter Games to be hosted by Kazakhstan a success, Yang said.
The Chinese foreign minister arrived in the Kazakh capital of Astana on December 27 for an official visit.